Selfie 949 calories burned – leg/booty + stairs 135 of the 949 above was from cardio, the rest from weights GREEN JUICE RECIPE: coenzyme q10, scoop of super greens+, 1 cup baby spinach, 4 baby carrots, half a peach, 1 cup aloe water, then fill the rest with water BREAKFAST: Kale sauteed in coconut oil, cracked pepper, sea salt and onion powder. Then topped with 2 over medium eggs. I sprayed a glass bowl with olive oil, then cracked the 2 eggs in and microwaved for 20 seconds at a time until it was done how I liked it BODY PIC – 167 in this photo: Feeling slimmer after eating more veggies/proteins and limiting simple carbs.

The last year has been a blessing and a curse. I met the love of my life and our mutual love of yummy food resulted in a 20 pound weight gain. I hit my heaviest this summer and when I couldn’t shake the feelings of insecurity, I knew I had to make a change. I hated that I weighed more than when I was pregnant with my kids. I lost my sparkle, passion for life and ability to have fun because I was so uncomfortable in my body. I didn’t want to hide the extra pounds, I wanted to get rid of them for good! I knew it was time to get consistent with my workout and change my eating habits.

Anyway, I started looking at the Paleo and fitness hashtags on Instagram and Pinterest for inspiration on what to cook when I started seeing before and after pictures of regular people losing weight by EATING. This inspired me to change the way I ate and to workout when Mark goes to work at o’dark 30 in the morning. I also watched Forks Over Knives and Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead on Netflix when I decided to put my weight loss plan into action.

I started posting what I’ve cooked on Instagram and then decided to include them in my blog in case anyone else was feeling the same way and needed motivation or inspiration. You’ll see some of the recipes I’ve tried from the Well Fed cookbook or some of the Paleo blogs. I am happy to report I’ve lost 7 lbs since I started my weight loss journey in August. I could have lost more weight if I eliminated alcohol completely or didn’t indulge in the occasional burger. However, this is a lifestyle change and moderation is the key for long term success.

Here is my current progress:
Starting weight 8/11/2013: 174 lbs
Current weight 9/11/2013: 167 lbs
Goal weight: 130 lbs

Yes, I am super embarrassed to share that I weighed 174 lbs a month ago, even more embarrassed to share my progress photos (coming soon). While I am losing weight, I know the scale might not budge as much as I want because my focus is to replace fat with muscle. I want to get stronger and since muscle is heavy, I told myself I wouldn’t freakout if I gain some weight in the beginning as long as my clothes continue to get looser. I’m heading into the gym tomorrow to have them take my measurements, my only wish that I had my measurements taken a month ago.

You can email me at fitgirl at cherylmarquez.com if you are interested in joining me for a 90 day fitness challenge or in having me become your virtual coach. Follow me on Instagram as I post workout stats and what I eat daily, my blog will eventually contain all of the recipes and fitness tools I’m using. Feel free to add me on MyFitnessPal: bombchel